Top 10 Milestones
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#1 Celebrating 10 YearsIn April 2022, the Faculty of Medicine marked the 10th anniversary of the Southern Medical Program (SMP). In its ten years of existence, the SMP has grown to include education sites in Kelowna, Vernon, Kamloops, Trail and 26 other communities in partnership with Interior Health. 220 new doctors have graduated from the program to date. That number will only continue to grow as 32 new doctors-to-be embark on their SMP journeys each year, benefiting from smaller class sizes, lower student-to-teacher ratios and the ability to build strong relationships with fellow classmates and clinical faculty. This is all made possible by the strong partnerships with Interior Health, clinical and academic faculty, support staff, community volunteers and the generosity of private donors. |
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#2 Centre for Chronic Disease Prevention and ManagementThe growth of the SMP showed no signs of slowing down in 2019 with the establishment of the Centre for Chronic Disease Prevention and Management (CCDPM). This research centre serves as a provincial leader for research, knowledge translation and exchange in the urgent research field of chronic diseases and was the first centre of its type located outside of the Lower Mainland. Dr. Kathleen Martin Ginis, CCDPM Director noted: “Our expanding research team is poised to leverage the diverse strengths of researchers and healthcare professionals to advance chronic disease research across the province and nationally.” |
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#3 Inaugural Class GraduationAlong with the blossoming magnolias on UBC Okanagan’s campus, the spring of 2015 brought the graduation of the SMP’s inaugural cohort. As part of the largest medical class in UBC’s history, the new doctors prepared to enter residency training in Royal College and Family Medicine programs. “We are incredibly proud of what our inaugural class has achieved,” said Dr. Jones. “They have played an instrumental role in shaping the educational experience for future generations of doctors.” |
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#4 Clinical Training Rotations BeginIn the fall of 2013, the inaugural class began their clinical training rotations at the Royal Inland Hospital in Kamloops, Vernon Jubilee Hospital, Kelowna General Hospital, and Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital in Trail. Rotations at these sites were a direct result of the successful partnership between the UBC Faculty of Medicine and Interior Health. |
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#5 Arrival of Inaugural ClassWhile state-of-the-art facilities, equipment are major milestones worth celebrating, it’s the training of doctors that lies at the heart of the SMP. In early 2012, the SMP’s inaugural class of 32 students arrived at UBC Okanagan as part of the distributed MD Undergraduate Program. Dr. Allan Jones, the founding Regional Associate Dean, Interior noted of the momentous occasion: “A remarkable amount of work and collaboration has taken place to launch the SMP. Our program will help lay the groundwork for increasing the number of practicing physicians in communities throughout the BC Interior.” |
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#6 Reichwald Health Sciences Centre Opens2012 was an eventful year for the SMP, as the Reichwald Health Sciences Centre officially opened its doors for the very first time. The $32.7-million B.C. government investment was purpose-built to accommodate first-year medical students, significantly increasing the number of available seats. The facility houses high-tech classrooms and lecture theatres, small-group teaching rooms, research labs, administration and faculty offices. |
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#7 The Pritchard Simulation CentreWith momentum building toward the launch of the SMP, 2012 brought the addition of the Pritchard Simulation Centre to the Clinical Academic Campus. This state-of-the-art patient simulation facility was a joint venture between UBC’s Faculty of Medicine and Interior Health and was supported by a generous donation from The Colin & Lois Pritchard Foundation. The facility was designed to replicate a variety of high-risk / low-probability medical scenarios to provide hands-on training experiences. |
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#8 First Integrated Community ClerkshipsExcitement abounded in 2011 as four third-year UBC medical students, two in Vernon and two in Trail, started a full year of training with local family physicians and specialists while providing care for patients in the SMP’s new Integrated Community Clerkship (ICC) programs. At the time, Dr. Jones recognized the commitment of clinician teachers and the dedicated program leadership in the communities: “Students will receive excellent training and support in such welcoming environments.” |
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#9 Opening of Clinical Academic CampusThe newly minted SMP was bolstered when the Provincial Government unveiled the Clinical Academic Campus at Kelowna General Hospital in 2010. This 34,000-square-foot facility includes a 180-seat lecture theatre, a library created for both hospital and academic use, videoconferencing suites and clinical skills and resource rooms for medical undergraduates and postgraduate residents. |
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#10 Hiring of the Founding Regional Associate Dean, InteriorWith the arrival of Dr. Allan Jones as its founding Regional Associate Dean in Kelowna in 2009, a new regional medical program was on its way to joining the tradition of the Vancouver-Fraser Medical Program, the Island Medical Program and the Northern Medical Program in training doctors to meet the needs of communities in every corner of British Columbia. |